{"id":128082,"date":"2025-09-10T17:38:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T17:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/128082\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T17:38:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T17:38:10","slug":"diet-soda-intake-how-much-is-too-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/128082\/","title":{"rendered":"Diet Soda Intake: How Much Is Too Much?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diet soda devotees have their reasons for obsessing over their favorite diet drink \u2014 sometimes it\u2019s the flavor, and for others it\u2019s the fact that it\u2019s sugar-free. After all, you\u2019re not getting a dose of high-fructose corn syrup hitting your blood sugar the way normal soda does.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s still important to monitor how much you\u2019re drinking. The rapper Fat Joe recently admitted to drinking between 30 to 40 cans of Diet Pepsi per day<\/a>, and that got us wondering: How much soda is too much diet soda? To find out, we spoke with experts to learn what drinking too much diet soda can do to your body. <\/p>\n

First, a look at the different types of artificial sweeteners in diet soda:<\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial sweeteners are made in a lab and plant-based ones come from natural sources,\u201d said Vanessa Rissetto<\/a>, a registered dietitian and CEO and co-founder of Culina Health. However, these are still processed. \u201cThey all vary in sweetness intensity, which is why only tiny amounts are used.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Do<\/p>\n

Peter Dazeley via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Do you even know which type of artificial sweetener your favorite diet soda contains?<\/p>\n

Diet soda will usually be made with one or a mix of the following sweeteners, according to Rissetto: <\/p>\n

Aspartame: This is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar and breaks down into amino acids in the digestive system. Sucralose: Made from sugar, but your body doesn\u2019t process it as sugar. Saccharin: It is one of the oldest artificial sweeteners and is used as a substitute for sugar. Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K): This is often blended with other sweeteners to create a better taste. Stevia: A plant-based option that has minimal impact on blood sugar. Monk fruit: Another plant-based option that is often mixed with other sweeteners. <\/p>\n

Are any sweeteners better for you than others? \u201cThey\u2019re all considered safe in normal amounts,\u201d Rissetto said. \u201cBut some people prefer plant-based ones like stevia or monk fruit because they feel \u2018more natural\u2019 and they may have less impact on the gut microbiome.\u201d While taste and tolerance are personal, there\u2019s not one that is necessarily considered the healthiest option.<\/p>\n

In fact, Dr. Adam Perlman<\/a>, chief medical officer at Pendulum Therapeutics, said none of these sweeteners are considered \u201chealthy,\u201d but they may be gentler on your body. \u201cCertain artificial sweeteners, like sucralose or saccharin, have been linked to changes in gut bacteria that could influence how your body manages blood sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Happens To Your Body On Diet Soda<\/p>\n

\u201cEven without sugar, several cans a day have been tied to higher risks for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke,\u201d Perlman said. \u201cOver time, high intake may be linked to weight gain, heart problems and blood sugar issues.\u201d <\/p>\n

When it comes to type 2 diabetes, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin have the ability to alter the way the body responds to glucose. \u201cThey stimulate sweet taste receptors, priming the body to expect calories,\u201d Rissetto explained. \u201cOver time, this mismatch can diminish insulin sensitivity, making it harder for the body to regulate blood sugar.\u201d In addition to this, your gut bacteria can be altered by these sweeteners. This can \u201cimpair glucose metabolism and increase inflammation, which are both risk factors for type 2 diabetes,\u201d Rissetto said.<\/p>\n

When your body experiences changes in gut bacteria and insulin resistance, you may have a spike in systemic inflammation, \u201cwhich is a core mechanism in heart disease,\u201d Rissetto said. <\/p>\n

Heart disease can become a concern for those who drink too much diet soda because the hormonal and metabolic changes from artificial sweeteners can increase triglycerides and lower your \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol, HDL, leading to endothelial dysfunction, which is when \u201cchronic exposure to sweeteners and soda additives may damage blood vessel linings, raising blood pressure and atherosclerosis risk,\u201d Rissetto said. <\/p>\n

When your blood vessel health is compromised by frequent consumption of diet soda, there\u2019s a chance you may be at a higher risk of small-vessel disease and impaired vascular function. Paired with the misconception that diet soda doesn\u2019t cause much harm to the body because it doesn\u2019t contain calories, \u201ctheir biological effects can encourage weight gain, higher blood pressure and diabetes \u2014 all strong risk factors for stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about the rumor that artificial sweeteners cause you to consume more food?<\/p>\n

Artificial sweeteners are also known to lead people to consume more sugar or other foods throughout the day. While they don\u2019t deliver calories, your brain\u2019s food reward pathways may get a little confused after drinking a diet soda. \u201cThe body expects energy after tasting sweetness \u2014 when it doesn\u2019t get it, hunger signals may increase, driving more eating,\u201d Rissetto explained. <\/p>\n

Your body also has a dopamine reward cycle, so when tasting something sweet, it triggers a dopamine release in the brain\u2019s reward center. \u201cWithout actual energy intake, the \u2018reward\u2019 feels incomplete, pushing a person to snack more, especially on sugary or high-carb foods,\u201d Rissetto added. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver time, high intake may be linked to weight gain, heart problems and blood sugar issues,\u201d Perlman said. \u201cSome sweeteners can also change the makeup of your gut bacteria, which might affect metabolism and inflammation.\u201d <\/p>\n

Even without sugar, diet soda is acidic, so it\u2019s possible that it can erode teeth. In addition to this, you have to consider how caffeine can affect your daily life. \u201cCaffeine can cause jitters, headaches or sleep problems,\u201d Rissetto said. \u201cSome people get bloating or stomach discomfort from the carbonation or the sweeteners themselves. In certain people, it can increase cravings for sweet foods.\u201d <\/p>\n

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So How Much Diet Soda Is Too Much?<\/p>\n

Most experts say stick to one a day or a few a week and make water or unsweetened drinks your go-to.<\/p>\n

On the same page, Rissetto said, \u201cI\u2019d say treat it as an occasional drink, not your main source of hydration. One a day is fine for most people, but a few a week is even better. Mix it up with water, sparkling water or unsweetened drinks so you\u2019re not relying on it.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Diet soda devotees have their reasons for obsessing over their favorite diet drink \u2014 sometimes it\u2019s the flavor,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128083,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[102,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-128082","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}